It’s launch day! The latest weather forecast stands at 100% favorable for the launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Launch is scheduled for 5:39 p.m. EST.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen out of the back of a boat at sunrise on Pad-0A, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA will deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the International Space Station.
The latest weather forecast continues to stand at 95% favorable for the scheduled launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket at 5:39 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9, from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The only weather concerns being tracked are a slight chance of cumulus clouds and thick clouds.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is horizontal for the final cargo load on Pad-0A, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
A dry and seasonable airmass will preside over the Wallops region as a high pressure system provides uneventful weather today. A weak upper-level shortwave trough will move across the Mid-Atlantic tonight, producing an uptick in cloudiness into early Sunday morning. High pressure will build back into the local area by Sunday afternoon, leading to another seasonable day under partly cloudy skies.
Northrop Grumman’s 13th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA will send the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station to deliver more than 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.
NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to launch its Antares rocket from Pad-0A of Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at 5:39 p.m., Feb. 9, from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Two pre-launch briefings will air live on NASA TV and the agency’s online stream (nasa.gov/live) today at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST.
Antares is carrying Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft for the company’s 13th contracted commercial resupply mission for NASA to the space station. Cygnus will carry about 8,000 pounds of crew supplies and hardware, including new science and research investigations.
PRELAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE 11 a.m.: Mission managers will provide an overview and status of launch operations.
WHAT’S ON BOARD SCIENCE BRIEFING 3 p.m.: Scientists and researchers will discuss some of the investigations and technology demonstrations to be delivered to the space station.
Commander Peggy Whitson works on the OsteoOmics bone cell study that utilizes the Microgravity Science Glovebox inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory on May 2, 2017. Credits: NASA
The public can submit questions during the pre-launch press conference and the What’s on Board briefing using #askNASA. Media can submit questions during the prelaunch news conference and the What’s on Board briefing using #askNASA or via the media phone bridge. Contact Keith Koehler at keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov for phone dial-in information.
On Feb. 9, live coverage of the launch will begin at 5 p.m. EST. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
In honor of the first African American to be selected as an astronaut, Northrop Grumman named the Cygnus spacecraft for the NG-13 cargo launch to the International Space Station “S.S. Robert H. Lawrence.”
The US Air Force (USAF) selected Maj. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., on June 30, 1967, as a member of the third group of aerospace research pilots for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) Program, making him the first African-American to be selected as an astronaut by any national space program. Maj. Lawrence perished in a training flight in late 1967.
The MOL was a joint project of the USAF and the National Reconnaissance Office to obtain high-resolution photographic imagery of America’s Cold War adversaries. After the 1969 cancellation of the MOL program, NASA invited the younger (under 35) MOL astronauts to join its astronaut corps – seven of them transferred to NASA on August 14, 1969, as the Group 7 astronaut class and all of them went on to fly on the space shuttle in the 1980s.
Third group of MOL astronauts: Robert T. Herres, Robert H. Lawrence, Donald H. Peterson and James A. Abrahamson.
The latest weather forecast stands at 95% favorable for the scheduled launch Sunday, Feb. 9 of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facilityin Virginia. As of this time, cumulus clouds and thick clouds are the primary weather concerns being tracked for a launch attempt at 5:39 p.m. EST Sunday.
Northrop Grumman’s 13th contractedcommercial resupply missionwith NASA will send the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station to deliver approximately 8,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is rolled out to Pad-0A, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Blustery conditions will continue today as a deep area of low pressure continues to move off to our northeast. Winds will subside overnight tonight, providing for a calm, uneventful Saturday. A weak upper level shortwave trough will then move across the Mid-Atlantic Saturday night, producing an uptick in cloudiness into early Sunday morning. High pressure will build back into the local area by Sunday afternoon, leading to another seasonable day under partly cloudy skies. Clouds begin to increase in the mid and upper- levels Sunday evening as another cold front approaches the region.
The latest weather forecast stands at 90% favorable for the Feb. 9 launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. At this time, cumulus clouds are the only weather concern being tracked for a launch attempt on Sunday afternoon.
NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to launch its 13th commercial resupply services mission, carrying more than 8,000 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware to the International Space Station, at 5:39 p.m. EDT on Feb. 9.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen just after being raised into a vertical position on Pad-0A, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Low pressure will continue to slowly move northeastward across the Mid-Atlantic tonight, bringing periods of rain and gusty winds through Friday. There is an uptick in cloudiness and a slight chance of an isolated shower or snow flurry early Sunday morning, but high pressure will build back into the Mid-Atlantic by Sunday afternoon, allowing for dry conditions, decreasing cloudiness, and light winds.
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport are set to support the launch of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket, carrying the company’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station at 5:39 p.m. EST, Feb. 9.
The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents throughout the mid-Atlantic region and possibly the East Coast of the United States. This map indicates when (in seconds) and where to look up in the sky after liftoff:
Launch viewing map for the CRS-13 launch.
When accessed from a smartphone browser, the Wallops Mission Status Center website can provide specific viewing information based on your location. Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. EST Feb. 9 on the Wallops video and audio Ustream sites.
For local launch-viewers, the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops opens at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 (about four hours before launch). Additional locations for catching the launch are Robert Reed Park on Chincoteague Island or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. The beach at the Assateague Island National Seashore/Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge will not be open during the launch.
Visitors are reminded that alcohol, pets and firearms are not allowed on the NASA Visitor Center grounds. Also, because of limited parking, over-size vehicles such as campers and recreational vehicles will not be able to park.
Outside the predicted visibility area? NASA TV launch coverage and commentary, as well as streaming online at nasa.gov/live, will begin at 5:00 p.m. EST Feb. 9.
This will be Northrop Grumman’s 13th commercial resupply services mission. Cygnus will carry more than 8,000 pounds of crew supplies and hardware to the space station, including science and research in support of dozens of research investigations.
NASA’s commercial partner Northrop Grumman is scheduled to launch its Antares rocket carrying its Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station at 5:39 p.m. EDT Sunday, Feb. 9.
Loaded with more than 8,000 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, this is Northrop Grumman’s 13th commercial resupply NASA-contracted mission. It will launch from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket is seen as it is rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility to launch Pad-0A, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
The team rolled the Antares rocket out to Pad-0A at Wallops the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 5.
The launch, as well as briefings preceding and following liftoff, will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT Feb. 9.
This image of the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft aboard, was taken Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
We are inviting social media users to apply for credentials to cover the launch of Northrop Grumman‘s CRS-13 mission to the International Space Station. An Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo spacecraft will liftoff no earlier than 5:39 p.m. EST on Feb. 9, 2020 from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Media accreditation is still open for the launch of Northrop Grumman’s next delivery of NASA science investigations, supplies and equipment to the International Space Station on Feb. 9. The deadline for international media without U.S. citizenship closed on Monday, Jan. 13. The application deadline for media who are U.S. citizens is Monday, Feb. 3.
The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard, launches from Pad-0A of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Saturday, November 2, 2019, in Virginia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The solar arrays have successfully deployed on Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft that is its way to deliver about 8,200 pounds of science and research, crew supplies, and hardware to the International Space Station. This is the company’s 12th contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA.
Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
This mission, designated NG-12, will be in orbit at the same time as its predecessor, the NG-11 Cygnus spacecraft, which launched in April on an extended duration flight. The NG-12 Cygnus spacecraft will remain at the space station until January before it disposes of several thousand pounds of trash through its fiery reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The ability to fly two vehicles at once further demonstrates the robustness of Cygnus to support the goals of NASA’s ambitious missions.
Coverage of the spacecraft’s approach and arrival to the orbiting laboratory will begin Monday, Nov. 4 at 2:45 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Expedition 61 astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch of NASA will use the space station’s robotic arm to capture Cygnus at around 4:10 a.m., while NASA’s Andrew Morgan monitors telemetry. The spacecraft is scheduled to stay at the space station until January.
